The present invention relates to a panhead to be used in the state where it is attached to a leg system, such as a tripod for a camera.
Examples of conventional panheads are respectively shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
The panhead shown in FIG. 7 includes abase body 1, a tilting body 2 and a camera mount 4. The tilting body 2 is mounted on the base body 1 in such a way that the tilting body 2 can be adjustably rotated. The camera mount 4 is supported by a side-tilting shaft 3 of the tilting body 2. A screw 6 having a head 5 with a diameter larger than the remaining part of the screw 6 is attached to the camera mount 4.
A camera (not shown) can be attached to the camera mount 4 of the panhead shown in FIG. 7 by inserting a hand into a space 7 between the top of the base body 1 and the underside of the camera mount 4 and holding the head 5 of the screw 6, so as to screw the furthermost end of the screw 6 into a screw hole formed in the back of the camera.
The panhead shown in FIG. 8 includes abase body 1, a tilting body 2 and a camera mount 4a of a quick-shoe type. The tilting body 2 is mounted on the base body 1 in such a way that the tilting body 2 can be adjustably rotated. The camera mount 4a is supported by a side-tilting shaft 3 of the tilting body 2.
According to the structure of the panhead shown in FIG. 8, a camera 10 can be attached to the panhead by fixing a camera securing member 4b, which has been removed from the camera mount 4a for the moment, to the back of the camera 10, and then attaching the camera securing member 4b back to the camera mount 4a. Thus, the camera 10 can be attached to the camera mount 4a with a minimal operation. There is a considerably large space 7a in the panhead shown in FIG. 8, because no particular member is provided between the base body 1 and the camera mount 4a. However, this space 7a is not utilized at all.
The panheads shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are both capable of setting the camera mount 4, 4a at a left-side tilting position. However, neither panhead is capable of setting the camera mount 4, 4a at a right-side tilting position due to obstruction of the base body 1 by the camera mount 4, 4a. 
An example of conventionally known panheads to solve the above problem has a structure shown in FIG. 9.
The panhead shown in FIG. 9 includes a base body 1, a tilting body 2 and a camera mount 4. The tilting body 2 is mounted on the base body 1 in such a way that the tilting body 2 can be adjustably rotated. The camera mount 4 is supported by a side-tilting shaft 3, which projects forward from a support plate portion 2a of the tilting body 2. A screw 6 having a head 5 with a diameter larger than the remaining part of the screw 6 is attached to the camera mount 4. A side-tilting operating handle 8 to be used for side-tilting is also attached to the camera mount 4.
The camera mount 4 of the panhead shown in FIG. 9 can be set at a right-side tilting position or a left-side tilting position by appropriately operating the side-tilting operating handle 8 which is set in a handle-mounting hole 9 formed to accommodate it.
As the camera mount 4 is attached to the side-tilting shaft 3, which is formed on the front face of the support plate portion 2a of the tilting body 2 and horizontally extends therefrom in the forward direction, there is no space in the upper front part of the panhead. Therefore, the panhead shown in FIG. 9 presents a problem in that it cannot be made sufficiently compact when being carried or other instances of non-use.
In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a panhead that can be made sufficiently compact when being carried or other instances of non-use, and also permits its camera mount to be set at either the right-side tilting position or the left-side tilting position as desired.
A panhead according to the present invention includes a camera mount provided with a camera fixing screw on the top thereof, and a side-tilting shaft disposed approximately below said camera fixing screw of the camera mount, wherein the camera mount is supported by the side-tilting shaft so that the camera mount can be set at either the left-side tilting position or the right-side tilting position by being adjustably rotated around the side-tilting shaft.
As the invention calls for disposing the side-tilting shaft approximately below the camera fixing screw of the camera mount, a space is provided in the upper front part of the panhead. Therefore, the panhead can be made sufficiently compact when being carried or other instances of non-use, and also permits its camera mount to be set at either the right-side tilting position or the left-side tilting position as desired.
A panhead according to another feature of the present invention includes a base body to be connected to a leg system, a rotational body which is provided as a part of the base body and can be adjustably rotated around a horizontal rotation center axis extending in the lateral direction, a side-tilting shaft which is provided as a part of said rotational body and adapted to rotate in an integral body with said rotational body, and a camera mount which is attached to the side-tilting shaft and provided with a camera fixing screw at the top thereof, said camera mount adapted to be adjustably rotated around a rotational center axis that horizontally extends in the fore-and-aft direction and coincides with the axial direction of the side-tilting shaft, wherein the camera mount is arranged such that its rotation center axis mentioned above is located on or close to a vertical surface that passes the center of the lateral length of said base body and that the camera mount can be set at the left-side tilting position or the right-side tilting position by being adjustably rotated, and wherein said side-tilting shaft is disposed approximately below the camera fixing screw of the camera mount.
As the side-tilting shaft is disposed approximately below the camera fixing screw of the camera mount, a space is provided in the upper front part of the panhead. Therefore, the panhead can be made sufficiently compact when being carried or other instances of non-use, and also permits its camera mount to be set at either the right-side tilting position or the left-side tilting position as desired.
A panhead according to yet another feature of the present invention includes a side-tilt locking knob which extends coaxially with the side-tilting shaft and is capable of advancing or retreating with respect to the side-tilting shaft, and a stopper adapted to function such that when the side-tilt locking knob is at the advanced position the stopper is pressed against the camera mount so as to prevent rotation of the camera mount, and when the side-tilt locking knob is at the retreated position the stopper is released from the camera mount so as to permit rotation of the camera mount.
As the position of the camera mount can be changed by causing the side-tilt locking knob to advance or retreat, the panhead according to the invention is convenient to operate. Furthermore, as the side-tilt locking knob is disposed coaxially with the side-tilting shaft, the panhead can be made appropriately compact.
According to yet another feature of the present invention, the axial length of the side-tilting shaft of the panhead is nearly equal to the front-to-back dimension of the camera mount, and a shaft fitting portion fitted to the side-tilting shaft is formed at the underside of the camera mount.
As the camera mount can easily be attached to the side-tilting shaft by fitting the shaft fitting portion to the side-tilting shaft, the invention provides a panhead that is convenient to assemble.